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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · vault · perch · nail · snap · swing · trunk · court

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. vault — a safe
  4. court — for sport
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chest — of your body
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. swing — in golf
  13. court — of a king
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. court — of law
  17. perch — the fish
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. snap — to click
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chest — a box
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com